


Come Make a Deal with the Devil

by merlin_the_dragonlord



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dark Merlin, M/M, Role Reversal, Underworld
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-02
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-04-12 13:39:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4481318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merlin_the_dragonlord/pseuds/merlin_the_dragonlord
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was no longer his realm, but Merlin's. Merlin's word was law here. The King of the Underworld.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Come Make a Deal with the Devil

Cold blue eyes stared down at the bowed blond head. Arthur couldn't bear the sight of the icy gaze. He remembered when they had been so full of life and love, but those days were long gone. This was no longer his realm, but Merlin's. Merlin's word was law here. The King of the Underworld. The shadows shifted around them in the eerily bright room, illuminated by pale blue flames, a mocking imitation of the light that had led Arthur to safety in the cave of the Morteaus flower. 

"You have been brought before me today to hear your punishment." His voice was even colder than his eyes. "Arthur Pendragon, your soul is stained with the deaths of hundreds." Shame flared through him but he kept silent. "You have burnt innocents." An apology rose to the tip of his tongue. _I'm sorry, Merlin. I'm sorry I executed Gaius. I'm sorry I drove you away._ He remembered the devastation on Merlin's face as he watched his mentor burn. That was the day that Camelot doomed herself. "You have betrayed many more." Guinevere emerged from the shadows, a look of disdain on her face. Merlin held out his hand and she stepped forward to stand next to him. 

"Hello, my lord." Her voice was quiet, her brown eyes never leaving Arthur's kneeling figure. That title, Arthur knew, was not addressed to him. At the sight of his wife, he started to rise, but the shadows forced him back onto his knees. She gave him a lofty glance before lowering herself down on the smaller throne next to Merlin. Arthur thought to himself that she had never looked more regal than in that moment.

"You will be bound to me for all eternity." Merlin's voice was absolute and dread filled Arthur. He didn't understand. _I'm yours. I've always been._ He wanted to scream but nothing came out. "Take him to my chambers." A large hand yanked him up and roughly pushed him out of the throne room. What seemed like seconds later, Arthur found himself in a lavishly decorated room and he looked around in a daze. On the nearest table there was a pomegranate, cut in half, and a goblet filled with a dark golden liquid. A note was also there, handwriting so achingly familiar that Arthur almost didn't want to read it. Almost.

 _Hello pet._ Shame burned through Arthur when he read the endearment. _You must be hungry. Do eat. I will return soon._ There was no signature.

The pomegranate was ripe, the juice staining Arthur’s fingertips as he picked it up to inspect it. It looked liked a normal pomegranate, but he quickly recalled stories of the Greek goddess Persephone and that prompted him to put the fruit down. Idly, he wondered where Hades was. Or did the Greek gods and goddesses of the old fade away as belief waned. _How did Merlin come to become the ruler of the Underworld?_ That was the most pressing question on his mind. How did his beloved warlock turn into this ruthless monster? He flinched a little. Merlin could never be a monster.

Still, he chose to leave the pomegranate alone. He picked up the goblet and swirled the contents within. It smoked a little at the motion, causing Arthur to practically slam the goblet back down on the surface of the table. Well, food and drink was out of the question. There was a large round bed in the middle of the far wall, decorated in black, to match the surrounding walls. There were green and silver designs embroidered into the blankets, sparkling in the light of the deep violent flames suspended in the air. He dared not move any closer.

There was a knock on the door and it opened. Arthur turned, expecting Merlin, but was startled to see Morgana crossing the threshold. She was dressed in black as well, but was clean and well-kempt in contrast to the last time he had seen her. Despite her appearance, there was something off about her. Her green eyes were downcast, she had a tray in her hands filled with an assortment of food. “Mor-“ He was cut off by a shake of her head.

She shuffled to the table with the pomegranate and the ambrosia and her mouth twisted into a grimace. The tray was placed gently down next to the fruit and she straightened up, looking around the room. “You should heed my lord’s orders.”

It was all very strange. Morgana had never been this submissive in her life. “Morgana, what’s going on? Why are you here? Why are-“

She held up a hand and Arthur ceased his questioning. “Not here.” Arthur took that to mean that Merlin had eyes and ears everywhere. It made sense, seeing as this was his castle. “I must return to my other duties now.” Arthur nodded and she left the room. He distantly heard another voice say her name and her response of _my lord_. So Merlin was near.

The King of the Underworld swept into his chambers and stopped right in front of Arthur. “I had been hoping for a more emotional family reunion.” His voice was mocking. “It took a lot of work to get her down here, you know. Wanted to make your arrival as welcoming as possible.” Arthur wasn’t sure he wanted to know what Merlin meant. “I see you haven’t touched the fruit. Dear me. Guinevere will be so heartbroken to hear that her precious pomegranates have gone to waste.” He waved his hand and the red fruit disappeared before he plopped down on the chair.

“What do you want with me?” Arthur demanded.

Merlin looked over at him with an arched eyebrow. “Why, I wish for nothing but your happiness, _my lord_.” He smiled suddenly, but it only served to send chills down Arthur’s spine. Either that, or the temperature started dropping suddenly. Or maybe both. “The Underworld is quite… hmmm…” Merlin cocked his head, lost in thought, “Well, welcoming isn’t the right word. But I’m sure you’ll fit right in here.” That wasn’t a compliment. “You must be hungry. Please, eat.” He stood and gestured to the food. “And before I forget…” He touched Arthur on the neck and he felt something appear suddenly. It was constricting his throat in an almost unpleasant way, but not so tight as to choke him. He scrambled towards the mirror and his heart dropped when he saw the black ring around his neck. _Property of Lord Emrys._ This was just the beginning. 

* * *

Time moved very differently in the Underworld, Arthur found out. There were no day/night cycles, only darkness, but everything seemed to run as if there were. He also discovered just how much Merlin had changed. Gone was the affable, loving warlock that he had been fond of, replaced by a cruel, cold ruler. Arthur found it ironic. His father would have been so jealous by the iron fist with which Merlin ruled. He passed judgment on souls and held audiences with souls worthy of appealing, as well as took daily trips around the Underworld to ensure that all was well.

Arthur’s responsibilities were very similar to Merlin’s duties as manservant, although it was easier. It seemed as if Merlin required none of the necessities of the human body. He did not eat, drink, or sleep. He did occasionally drink some ambrosia, but even that was very rare. Arthur however, still needed to eat and drink. He refused to partake in ambrosia, fearing the consequences, much to Merlin’s amusement. One thing he also did was stand behind Merlin during council meetings (those were usually interesting- his council consisted of Guinevere, the Furies, the Fates, and a slew of high-ranking demons) and audiences with souls seeking to appeal their punishments. It was during one of the audience sessions that Arthur would find out exactly how powerful the King of the Underworld was.

It was business as usual, with Merlin seated in the throne, slightly bored, as always. The soul in front of him was pleading to be released from the Fields of Punishment, when suddenly, the doors slammed open and three cloaked figures strode in, their presences capturing the attention of everyone in the throne room.

Merlin stood angrily. “What is the meaning of this?” He glared imperiously down at the three. “You have no right.”

The first figure threw their hood off. Arthur felt his breath catch. The young maiden was beautiful beyond comparison, holding herself with the poise of a queen. “And you, Emrys, had no right to their souls.”

The second hood came off. This time, it was a middle-aged woman, still beautiful, but there were hints of grey in her hair and her face was rounder, kinder. “They belong in Avalon.” Arthur looked to Merlin and he immediately regretted that decision. The warlock was no longer _Merlin_ , but he was the King of the Underworld. His eyes were pure molten gold, his skin had taken a dark-red hue, his ears had shifted and were now more pointed, his teeth had elongated, and his nails had transformed into claws. Black feathered wings had ripped through the back of the black robes he favored and were now extended, making his presence so much more intimidating. Arthur thought that he looked magnificent.

The final woman drew her hood back. She had the appearance of an old crone, but held herself straight like a woman much younger. “You must return them, Emrys.”

“ _You have no dominion here._ ” Arthur started at the voice. It was much deeper than Merlin’s normal voice and resounded throughout the room. “ _Their souls are **mine**_.”

“Emrys, we do not wish to fight.” The middle woman spoke. “We just want their souls.”

Someone touched Arthur’s elbow and he jumped. Morgana had sidled up to Arthur’s side, a look of eagerness on her face.

“ _Leave now, while I’m still merciful._ ”

The maiden snarled, her hand going to the hilt of the sword at her side. “You forget your place, _Emrys_.”

That only served to infuriate Merlin and he stretched his hands out. A ring of fire circled the three women, but they did not seem phased. The old crone watched the flames before cocking her head. “Is that the best you can do, Emrys?” She held a hand out and the flames receded. “Pity.”

“We don’t want to fight.” Arthur could tell that the middle-aged woman was the peacekeeper amongst the three.

“You’ll have to destroy me if you want them.” 

Resignation appeared on the middle woman’s face. “Very well. Artemis.” The youngest leapt forward and drew her sword.

In a blur of black, Merlin barreled past Arthur and there was a loud clang as their swords met. Arthur was shocked to see that Merlin’s sword had flames encircling it, but he was even more shocked to see Merlin moving fluidly and meeting the woman’s attacks like he was born with a sword in his hand. Arthur wasn’t even sure that he would be able to defeat Merlin like that. He was so captivated, that he didn’t realize Morgana was whispering in his ear until she pinched him. “Arthur, come on, this is our chance to leave!” He tore his eyes away from the fight and turned to her. Her eyes were filled with fervor and excitement.

“What do you mean?” He asked, not understanding her.

“They’re the Triple Goddesses. They can return us to Avalon, where we belong.” Wait, Merlin was going up against the deities of the Old Religion?! It made no sense.

“But…”

It seemed that Morgana was getting impatient. She physically grabbed his arm and began to drag him towards the back doors with a surprising strength.

He looked back over at Merlin, now suspended in the air. He had overpowered Artemis and she was trapped in a shadow cage, glaring at the fight between Merlin and the other two. They were clearly more dependent on magic, with fireballs and debris flying back and forth and tendrils of black and gold entwined in a fight for dominance. The middle-aged Goddess was clearly distracted, shooting worried glances over at Artemis, who was trying to escape her prison. Morgana was shoving against the door, cursing as it wouldn’t open.

“You will not have him!” Merlin pushed his hands out in a sharp motion and that seemed to push his magic enough that it threw the other two back. Artemis let out a shriek and made one last effort to escape, but Merlin’s eyes flared a brighter gold and the bars of the cage were engulfed with purple flames. The other two were entrapped in cages of their own and Merlin floated down and stared hard at all of the goddesses. “Arthur Pendragon has undergone judgment. His soul is mine for all eternity.” He then turned and his piercing gold eyes met Arthur’s. A cold smile spread across his face. “Isn’t that right, _pet_?” That voice sent chills down Arthur’s spine, but he moved forward, despite Morgana’s hisses.

Arthur kept walking forward, until he came to a stop in front of Merlin. The King of the Underworld looked _beautiful._ All of Arthur’s suppressed emotions came rushing back to him. He was reminded of how much he loved Merlin, wonderful Merlin. He went down on one knee, as if ready to swear fealty to his lord. Nothing made sense anymore, but he knew one thing. For the rest of eternity, he would be at Merlin’s side. Where he belonged. “Yes, my lord.”

**Author's Note:**

> To be completely honest, this work was never meant to come to fruition, but I continued to write and this happened. Dark Merlin is one of my favorite tropes just because I love the idea of Merlin saying "fuck you" to Destiny and Fate and just turning against Camelot. Also, dark Colin Morgan would be every one of my wet dreams come true, but you know, that's besides the point. 
> 
> As always, my tumblr is merlin-the-dragonlord, where I reblog a ton of Merlin and cry about life, come check it out if you like, and please leave a review letting me know what you thought!


End file.
